Untitled
by MakeItVoid
Summary: The Arcobaleno try to run from the curse – they try to fight back. Checker Face takes so much more from them.


It starts simply.

Fon hears a rumour and Viper tracks it down to someone called Bermuda von Veckenschenstein. The resident hitman pays a visit to Vendicare since he's had dealings with them in the past.

He knew that there was a group called Arcobaleno before them, made of only the very strongest. That's why they accepted the name; they though it was a nod to old history and a not-so-discreet brag about their strength. As it turns out, there were 'Arcobaleno' on and off from the start of recorded history.

Bermuda begins by explaining that the Trinisette needs to stay balanced for the sake of the universe.

The Vongola ring is passed down through the generations as a backbone, the only full-time part of the Trinisette which acts as a foundation.

The Mare ring allows brief peeks into parallel universes, a way to see mistakes and accidents and avoid them. It's the defence mechanism of the Trinisette.

The Arcobaleno Curse is the powerhouse. It only bonds to the very strongest flame users, deforming the wielder and putting the body into stasis so the pacifier can feed off energy for however long the Arcobaleno lasts.

The Sky Arcobaleno also has the power of foresight. They are not always the strongest Sky available, which means their life span is incredibly short, but with the ability to see into the future they get a warning if one of the strongest decides to fight back.

And someone always tries to fight back, Bermuda tells the hitman. It never ends well for them.

* * *

Luce looks away when the other Arcobaleno confront her about it.

She always stayed at a distance from them, only stepping in to break up the really nasty fights. Sometimes she would be laughing with them but then a wall would come down and she'd quickly excuse herself.

They all knew something was happening behind the scenes, even Skull, but as long as it didn't bother them it wasn't important.

Horrifically deforming all of them with a Curse that would drain their life until they were no longer capable as batteries is a pretty important matter though.

The Arcobaleno don't confront her with the intention of starting a fight. They just want a clearer explanation than what Bermuda gave. They want the mechanism behind it all; how is the Curse made, can they provide the energy without the Curse, if they choose to take it on then can they back out later?

They have a genius in Verde and everyone else isn't far behind. If they just have all the information they can figure out a different way. Surely, with the amount of contacts and people who owe them favours, it shouldn't be impossible.

Luce apologises. It doesn't sound sincere. She says this was never in her visions. If she had seen it then she could have turned them away from this path before they caught his attention.

This is not out of cruelty, Luce tells them. But you're all so strong, so independent. You need to know when to just follow.

Checker Face steps through the front door.

* * *

Fon is a monster.

He's not a bad kind of monster though, just a very instinctive one. Fon has dedicated himself to being the strongest because there's an all-consuming _need_ inside him to be able to protect what's his.

He is powerful, so it's his duty and his right to keep the others safe. He will oblige with glee. If someone tries to hurt his Arcobaleno then he'll go for the neck with _teeth_.

They belong to him. Fon feels this with a distinct edge of obsession.

Checker Face reaches in and pulls out his emotions like strings until Fon frays apart, hollowed out and apathetic, only capable of an empty smile.

* * *

The world is a beautiful place to Viper.

Viper loves their eyes because they have Synesthesia; a crossing of senses. More specifically, where sounds can trigger bright bursts of colour. Lal's marching steps splash up forest green, Verde clicking his pen lets off royal purple sparks and sunshine yellow pours from Skull's lips when he laughs.

They can just sit and watch someone speak for hours, amazed by the quickly shifting fireworks of colours. It's all so gorgeous.

Checker Face plucks out Viper's eyes.

* * *

Verde has a big heart. He may not show it but everything he does is to help people. He invents more efficient air filters, builds vehicles a hundred times safer than any car and improves AI technology in leaps and bounds.

Every bit of research, every contribution to the scientific community is done with the purpose of advancing humanity. Why would he let people suffer if he knows he can fix the problem at the source? Who would sit back if they knew they could help?

Verde aims for the stars and he'll carry the rest of humanity up with him.

Checker Face crushes Verde's heart and suddenly he can't see the stars past the deep darkness that blankets this world.

* * *

A lot of things have happened in Skull's long, long life.

He's never considered himself old exactly, but sometimes he looks at the other Arcobaleno and sees little children far too mature for their age. Skull wishes he could coax them away from the Mafia, but they all love it here, this is their home.

Skull can only try to protect them in the small ways that he can. He keeps them company, tries his damnedest to make them smile and just hopes that he does enough to keep the nightmares away.

Skull thinks they're so young…but he hopes they die long before they reach his age.

Checker Face gathers those half-buried memories and scatters them in front of Skull, everything coming back into full clarity all at once.

* * *

Lal and Colonnello are COMSUBIN elite.

They know how to plan, lead and execute a range of missions – though they prefer to do so with the Arcobaleno. Lal loves her shotgun but Colonnello enjoys his anti-tank rifle. That ridiculous hitman tells them they have bad taste just because they don't love handguns as much as he does.

They both love all kinds of guns but it's not bad to pick favourites. It's the physical sensation of carrying something heavier that really appeals to them. They're both tactile people, relying heavily on their bodies, up and already training at the crack of dawn.

Each one is worth an entire army alone and they have earned that through blood, sweat and tears.

Checker Face doesn't do anything. The Curse disfigures and distorts, weakening them. Anything more would be effort wasted on his part.

* * *

[][][][][] is a hitman, the World's Greatest in fact.

He grew up in [][][][][][][] with [][][][][][] and a [][][][][]. He was [][][][] and went to [][][][][][][] in [][][][]. [][][][][] [][][][] [][] [][][][][] [][][][] [][] [][][][][][][].

[][][][] [][].

[][][][][].

Checker Face takes [][][][][]'s memories.

* * *

The Arcobaleno all wake up in their homes, too small and dazed, not understanding what happened. They remember finding out something incredibly important.

They remember Luce warning them to _follow_.

He's not sure what happened to the others but he…

He doesn't know what his name is.

He can't remember who his parents are or if he had any other family. Where he was born, where he grew up, where he's visited…? Who taught him about guns? How old is he?

He can't find his birth certificate or his passport and there are no old photos or anything hinting at when he was younger. His name isn't in any notebooks or letters, not even arrest warrants. He's a hitman, surely the INTERPOL database should have had something?

Is there really nothing or was that erased too?

He tries to find old friends that might have known him when he was young, or perhaps anyone really close that he might have told stories too. At least one person has to know his name, right? Maybe someone out of the country?

Please, just one person.

He ends the search with the Arcobaleno but they stare at him with a silent horror like everyone else he visited. The others know he told them stories but it's just giant gaps in their memory now.

He storms Giglio Nero but Luce is dead, leaving her daughter to suffer in her place. He tries to find that lead again, the one that made Luce show her true colours. If he can just find it he can…do something. Try something at least!

He can't – there's nothing he can do running off maybe half a decade worth of memories and that's counting the huge blank spaces that span for months at a time.

He can't remember who he is.

He doesn't know his name.

He doesn't know his_ own fucking name!_

He often spends days going through his home over and over again, thinking that maybe there's something hidden. He stops a lot to stare at something because he doesn't remember buying that or writing that or because he didn't know he could use that weapon or read that language and it's…

It's so frustrating and…

And he's scared.

What if he loses more memories? What if he just keeps forgetting?

He's going through his too big clothes again, searching the pockets of his suits for the nth time, searching along the seams and tags to see if he hid something once. The doorbell rings.

He doesn't answer but the door opens anyway and the Arcobaleno pile in. Fon sets down a cake as big as himself with a giant candle in the middle. They tell him they need an excuse to eat cake, so they declare this his first birthday and say he should make a wish.

The Arcobaleno name him Reborn.

Reborn. Because it doesn't matter who he used to be. What matters is who he is now, at this very moment. What matters is who he chooses to be.

He looks at them and sees that these people are so very hurt.

Viper won't let anyone see their face and they panic when the silence is too heavy or the noise is too loud. Lal and Colonnello are crippled horrifically, only kept at COMSUBIN as teachers out of pity and that pity is quickly running out.

Verde, the brightest of them all, is diving head first into the darkness of the Mafia. Fon is so apathetic that it's a good day when he can even get out of bed. Skull doesn't sleep anymore but that can't keep the nightmares away.

Despite everything, they named him Reborn with all the love and hope they have left.

Reborn decides that he'll spend the rest of his life making sure these people are happy.


End file.
